European shares extend rally; Maersk surges

PARIS Aug 19 (Reuters) - European shares rose in early
trading on Tuesday, adding to the previous session's rally, led
by Moller-Maersk's sharp gains following
forecast-beating results.

Shares in the Danish shipping and oil group rose 5 percent
after it posted better-than-expected results, raised its
full-year profit outlook and unveiled a $1 billion share buyback
plan.

At 0706 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top
European shares was up 0.3 percent at 1,343.43 points, extending
the previous session's 1.2 percent rise and tracking solid gains
on Wall Street as investors' concerns over the Ukrainian crisis
eased.

Ukrainian government forces reported new successes
overnight, building on a weekend breakthrough when troops raised
the national flag in Luhansk, a city held by pro-Russian
separatists since fighting began in April.
(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Atul Prakash)